Bush experience goes begging

BIG BLOW: Richard Puddy (pictured) and Andrew McLean are unavailable.PHOTOS/FILE

WAIRARAPA-Bush will be without three of their more experienced players when the 2015 Heartland championship campaign kicks off on August 22.

Gladstone duo Andrew McLean and Richard Puddy have made themselves unavailable for representative selection this season while Greytown's Byron Karaitiana has a medial ligament injury, which is expected to have him sidelined from six to 10 weeks.

The absence of lock McLean, who made the national Heartland squad last season, and hooker Puddy is a big blow because of their proven combination at lineout time and their rugged approach in general play. As ball carriers in rolling mauls or rushes, there are none better in Wairarapa.

Karaitiana was the leading points scorer in Wairarapa-Bush club rugby this season. His ability to cover several backline positions, including first-five, second-five and fullback, has made him an invaluable member of the Heartland line-up over many seasons. And he was set to be the ideal understudy to Tim Priest in the goal-kicking department.

A hand injury suffered in Wairarapa-Bush's 45-29 loss to Wellington Samoans on Saturday will also keep Carterton utility back Corey McFadzean out of action for at least a month, and probably more. Like Karaitiana, he is a versatile player capable of slotting into virtually any backline role.

Wairarapa-Bush head coach Josh Syms had mixed feelings over his team's performance in their latest outing. Among the biggest pluses in his mind were that youngsters Greytown wing Nick Robertson and Martinborough loosie Chris Raymond showed they could cope with the pressures of playing at the higher level and he liked what he saw from another new face Andy Humberstone in midfield.

On the minus side, Syms thought there were times when Wairarapa-Bush struggled to handle the physicality of their opposition and too many first-up tackles were missed. "I think it's fair to say we were still in club mode, the intensity wasn't quite what it needed to be."

There is now a strong likelihood Syms and assistant coach Wayne Roache will bring in at least a couple of "imports" for the Jeremy David Memorial Trophy match against Poverty Bay this Saturday and the Heartland championship, which kicks off against Thames Valley in Paeroa the next weekend.

"There's no question there are some positions where the depth isn't quite where we would like it to be and, yes, we will be looking to add strength there," Syms said.